Man charged with Second-Degree Murder in fatal hammer attack in Brandon

On the evening of November 15, 2023, the victim died of his injuries in HSC.

On November 16, 2023, police arrested 32-year-old Ryan MECAS while he was in Brandon Correctional Centre on an additional Charge of Second-Degree Murder.  He will appear today in court.  MECAS Appeared in court on November 13, 2023, on charges of Aggravated Assault, Assault with a Weapon and Arson with Disregard for Human Life.

Correction on the original release, the date of the offence and the report was 2023-11-12.

Original release from November 14, 2023: Aggravated Assault

On 2023-11-13, at approximately 1:15pm, the Brandon Police Service received a report from the 800 block of 15th Street that a suspect was attacking people with a hammer.  A description of the suspect was provided by witnesses on scene, and officers subsequently located the accused a short distance from the area.  While on scene, 911 received a second call of a possible house fire on the same block.  Brandon Fire (BFES) attended the home and made entry after witnesses indicated that a victim of the hammer attack was potentially still inside the building.  An adult male was pulled from the burning house by BFES.  The patient was found to have severe trauma to his head from multiple hammer strikes and was transported to the BRHC before being air lifted by STARS Air Ambulance to the Health Sciences Center in Winnipeg.  Investigation resulted in learning that the initial fire to the home was deliberately set using accelerants.  A canister of accelerant and the weapon used during the assault was recovered by police at the scene of the fire.  A second adult male victim was found to have been struck in the head with a hammer by the suspect, however sustained minor injuries to the top of his head.  The suspect and the victims are known to each other, and the most recent medical condition of the victim transported to HSC is listed as “critical but stable”.  A 32-year-old male has been lodged at BPS to appear for court 2023-11-14, for the charges of Aggravated Assault, Assault with a Weapon, and Arson with Disregard for Human Life.